Tour de France 2021: Start date, how to watch and stream in Australia, stages and standings

Brendan Bradford

Tour de France 2021: Start date, how to watch and stream in Australia, stages and standings image

The 2021 Tour de France is underway, with the opening week in full flow. 

The race travels around France, climbing the Alps and Pyrenees over 21 stages before finishing in Paris on July 18.

23 teams of eight riders will start the Tour, with shock 2020 winner Tadej Pogačar looking to defend his title.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2021 Tour de France. 

WHEN DOES THE 2021 TOUR DE FRANCE START? 

The 2021 Tour de France started on Saturday, June 26

HOW TO WATCH THE TOUR DE FRANCE IN AUSTRALIA

As always, SBS will broadcast every stage of the Tour de France live in HD in Australia. 

The broadcast will start around 7:30pm-8:30pm each day.

A full replay of each stage will be on SBS On Demand each day, and a two hour cutdown of each stage will also be available. SBS will also have a regular half hour highglights package on its website and on TV. 

TOUR DE FRANCE STREAM 

The SBS ŠKODA Tour Tracker App will be your go-to if you can't get to a TV. 

The app is available on IOS and Android, and you'll be able to watch every single metre of action without ad breaks. 

TOUR DE FRANCE 2021 STAGES, TIMES, RESULTS, HIGHLIGHTS AND HOW TO WATCH  

STAGE ONE - SATURDAY JUNE 26 

Brest to Landerneau 198 km - Hilly 
Stage winner: Julian Alaphilippe
Yellow jersey: Alaphilippe
Green jersey: Michael Matthews
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

Catch up on more stage one action here. 

STAGE TWO - SUNDAY JUNE 27 

Perros-Guirec to Mûr-de-Bretagne (Guerlédan) 183.5 km - Medium mountain stage
Stage winner: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Julian Alaphilippe 
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

Here's the stage two finish, with Mathieu Van Der Poel powering away on the final climb of the day. 


STAGE THREE - MONDAY JUNE 28 

Lorient to Pontivy 183 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Tim Merlier
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Julian Alaphilippe 
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE FOUR - TUESDAY JUNE 29

Redon to Fougères 150.5 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE FIVE - WEDNESDAY JUNE 30 

Changé to Laval 27.2 km - Individual time trial
Stage winner: Tadej Pogacar
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE SIX - THURSDAY JULY 1 

Tours to Châteauroux 161 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Ide Schelling
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE SEVEN - FRIDAY JULY 2 

Vierzon to Le Creusot 249.5 km - Medium mountain stage
Stage winner: Matej Mohoric
Yellow jersey: Mathieu Van Der Poel
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Matej Mohoric
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE EIGHT - SATURDAY JULY 3 

Oyonnax to Le Grand-Bornand 151 km - Mountain stage
Stage winner: Dylan Teuns
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Wouter Poels
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

STAGE NINE - SUNDAY JULY 4 

Cluses to Tignes 145 km - Mountain stage
Stage winner: Ben O'Connor
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Nairo Quintana
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar 

REST DAY 1 - MONDAY JULY 5

STAGE 10 - TUESDAY JULY 6 

Albertville to Valence 191 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Nairo Quintana
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 11 - WEDNESDAY JULY 7 

Sorgues to Malaucène 199 km - Mountain stage
Stage winner: Wout Van Aert
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Nairo Quintana
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 12 - THURSDAY JULY 8  

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes 159.5 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Nils Politt
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Nairo Quintana
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 13 - FRIDAY JULY 9  

Nîmes to Carcassonne 220 km - Flat stage
Stage winner: Mark Cavendish
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Nairo Quintana
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 14 - SATURDAY JULY 10 

Carcassonne to Quillan 184 km - Medium mountain stage

Stage winner: Bauke Mollema
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Michael Woods
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 15 - SUNDAY JULY 11 

Céret to Andorra la Vella (Andorra) 191.5 km - Mountain stage

Stage winner: Sepp Kuss
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Wouter Poels
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

REST DAY 2 - MONDAY JULY 12

STAGE 16 - TUESDAY JULY 13 

El Pas de la Casa (Andorra) to Saint-Gaudens 169 km - Medium mountain stage

Stage winner: Patrick Konrad
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Wouter Poels
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 17 - WEDNESDAY JULY 14 

Muret to Saint-Lary-Soulan (Col de Portet) 178.5 km - Mountain stage

Stage winner: Tadej Pogacar
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Wouter Poels
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 18 - THURSDAY JULY 15 

Pau to Luz Ardiden 130 km - Mountain stage

Stage winner: Tadej Pogacar
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Tadej Pogacar
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 19 - FRIDAY JULY 16 

Mourenx to Libourne 207 km - Flat stage

Stage winner: Matej Mohoric
Yellow jersey: Tadej Pogacar
Green jersey: Mark Cavendish
Polka dot jersey: Tadej Pogacar
White jersey: Tadej Pogacar

STAGE 20 - SATURDAY JULY 17 

Libourne to Saint-Émilion 30.8 km - Individual time trial

8:30pm – 2:15am on SBS

STAGE 21 - SUNDAY JULY 18  

Chatou to Paris (Champs-Élysées) 108.5 km - Flat stage

11:00pm – 4:00am on SBS

TOUR DE FRANCE 2021 TOTAL DISTANCE

The 2021 Tour de France is 3,417.5 km long over 23 stages. 

TOUR DE FRANCE 2021 PREVIEW 

 

WHO WILL WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE? 

Defending champion Tadej Pogačar is the bookies' favourite to claim his second consecutive Tour de France. The 22-year-old picked up in 2021 where he left 2020, claiming overall victories at Tirreno-Adriatico, the UAE Tour and the Tour of Slovenia. He also took out Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April and was third in the Tour of the Basque Country. Pogačar is good everywhere, and while there are questions over his team, it didn't slow him down last year. 

Primož Roglič seemed just days away from winning his first Tour in 2020, and is determined to go one better than his second place finish last year. Roglic can do everything on a bike and has a strong Lotto-Jumbo team in support but hasn't had any serious racing over the past month. 

The 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas is back looking for his second Grand Tour victory. Thomas won the Tour de Romandie and has a couple of third-place finishes at the Dauphine and Volta a Catalunya.

Richard Carapaz is amoung the favourites after winning the Tour de Suisse. Carapaz has a super-strong team with Ineos Grenadiers, but with a relative lack of mountain-top stage finishes, could see his chances to gain time limited. There's also some questions around his time trialling ability, but he should be entrenched well inside the top 10. 

Fellow Ineos rider, and 2020 third-place finisher, Richie Porte will figure at the pointy end of the Tour again this year. A strong time-triallist, Porte is in good form after winning the Criterium du Dauphine.  

World champion Julian Alaphilippe will be in the mix, while Rigoberto Uran also poses a danger. 

TOUR DE FRANCE 2020 

In the rescheduled 2020 Tour de France, held in September instead of July due to COVID-19, Tadej Pogacar scored a shock debut win. 

Pogacar came from nowhere to beat countryman Primoz Roglic by 59 seconds, with Australian Richie Porte earning his first Tour podium finish, 3:30 behind Pogacar. 

Ireland's Sam Bennett won the sprinters' green jersey ahead of Peter Sagan and Matteo Trentin.

Pogacar also won the polka dot jersey as the Tour's best climber, finishing ahead of Richard Carapaz and Roglic. 

In an incredible three weeks, Pogacar was also the best young rider, winning the white jersey in front of Enric Mas and Valentin Madouas. 

TOUR DE FRANCE - WHAT DO THE JERSEYS MEAN? 

YELLOW JERSEY - MAILLOT JAUNE

The yellow jersey is worn by the race leader. This is the rider who has the lowest accumulated time.

GREEN JERSEY - MAILLOT VERT

The green jersey is worn by the Tour's best sprinter.

Also known as the sprinters' jersey, it's awarded on a points basis, with a descending number of points distributed as riders cross the finish line or intermediate sprint points midway through stages. 

POLKA DOT JERSEY - MAILLOT A POIS ROUGES

The polka dot jersey is awarded to the Tour's best climber. 

It's decided by points distributed for each climb on the course, with the rider with the most cumulative points wearing the jersey. 

TOUR DE FRANCE WINNERS 

2010: Andy Schleck
2011: Cadel Evans
2012: Bradley Wiggins 
2013: Chris Froome 
2014: Vincenzo Nibali 
2015: Chris Froome
2016: Chris Froome
2017: Chris Froome
2018: Geraint Thomas
2019: Egan Bernal
2020: Tadej Pogačar

HAS AN AUSTRALIAN WON THE TOUR DE FRANCE? 

Yep, just once. 

Cadel Evans won the 2011 Tour de France in dramatic fashion in the closing couple of days. Under heavy attack from the Schleck brothers, Frank and Andy, Evans held them off in the Alps before taking the yellow jersey on the final time trial of the race.

Brendan Bradford